This startup helps small town women start their own beauty business

NEW DELHI: Manmeet, a mother of two from Lucknow, had a childhood passion for makeup but found it difficult to follow her dream due to marriage and parental pressures.

When she decided to become an independent earner in the household, Manmeet accessed Airblack, a skilling academy that helps people start their own businesses, and developed her love for makeup into a professional skill. She went on to open a mini-salon at her home in Lucknow and has started earning Rs 75,000 per month through makeup and hairstyling orders.

Manmeet is not alone. Videt Jaiswal, who founded Airblack in 2019 along with Vaibhav Raj Gupta, said the startup has skilled around 15,000 women in three years. “Over 65% come from Tier 2 cities, with previously very limited access to business opportunities,” he said.

Currently, Airblack claims to be India's largest beauty and wellness academy. In addition, the startup has recently forayed into the hospitality and culinary space and helped over 500 bakers launch a baking business.

“Traditional education today focuses on multi-year courses and prepares you for a white-collar job. However, there is only one job available in India for every 15 people added to the workforce. I was a venture investor and saw first-hand that the resources and opportunities available to people with ‘big ideas’ are immense. At the same time, a large part of India has been built on the back of ‘small ideas’ or ‘small gigs’. I wanted to do something that can help accelerate the lives of millions of people who want to dream big by starting small,” said Jaiswal.

The startup has a strong focus on women with women workforce participation at 33% as of 2022. Its largest learner base comprises students in tier 2 cities who don’t end up migrating to bigger cities, as well as homemakers above the age group of 27 usually, with no upper cap.

“We have a Certified Makeup Artist who lives in Chandigarh and is 55 years old,” said Jaiswal, who expects Airblack to be EBITDA profitable within 6-8 months.


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